Losing It: A Collection of VCards (24 page)

I pulled out an artavus from my pocket, willed it to glow, and etched runes in the air. A portal into my bedroom appeared. It was a bad idea to take her to my place now, but I didn’t give a shit what was right. She needed me now.

She was still dancing, and for a moment I ignored the shimmering entrance and watched her. Her hair lifted, danced in the night air, and floated down to her shoulders like silk curtains. Moonlight bathed her delicate features. Her arms lifted gracefully and I realized she wasn’t just dancing. She was communicating with nature again.

Under the moonlight, the trees swayed with the motion of her arms. She’d already replanted some of the trees I’d uprooted in my mindless rage. Now the dangling, broken branches lifted and reattached themselves to the trunks. The fresh leaves floated from the ground, and the crushed bushes and grass straightened, shook and danced even though there was no breeze. I wouldn’t have been surprised if whatever creatures sleeping under them woke up just to show her their love.

Watching her was humbling. So sweet and innocent, and yet so powerful. A car sped toward us. She was dancing in the middle of the road and could be hit. With the right runes, the car would be totaled, but I doubted she had strength runes engaged.

Closing the gap between us, I lifted her clear off the ground and her arms looped around my shoulder. Where the hell were her shoes? There was no way I was searching for them in the dark, runes or not.

She rained kisses all over my face.

“Torin. Beautiful Torin.”

The car shot past us without slowing down, the driver seeing nothing. I stepped through the portal and it closed, the cold air and night sounds disappearing.

Instead of putting Raine down, I stared into her eyes. “How are you feeling?”

 “Great,” she whispered, touching my face, her luminescent eyes boring into mine. “What is it? Are you thinking about your father again?”

I wasn’t, but I liked it when she touched me. “Yes. I need you.”

“I know.” She cupped my face and kissed me softly. “I need you, too.”

“Then come back to me.”

She frowned. “I’m here, silly.” She glanced around and grinned. “At my favorite place, too.”

I chuckled, but the moment passed and I stopped smiling. “I need you to be whole again, Freckles.”

“Not without you.” She grabbed my face. “You make me whole, Torin St. James.” Then she kissed me again, fiercely this time, possessively. Afterward, she leaned back. “That’s cheating. You have to kiss me back.”

I knew I should rune her and knock her out, let her sleep the magic away. There was always tomorrow. I lowered her to the bed.

Her arms wound tighter around my neck, and she ran her fingers through my hair. “I love your hair. It’s silkier than mine. And your lashes… Everything about you is beautiful.”

Maybe just a kiss, and I’d stop. I covered her mouth with mine and felt the extra kick her elemental magic threw in the midst as my blood soared. I pulled her closer as need rose, wanting her so much it hurt. No, this went beyond want. I needed her tonight. Craved her touch, yet I couldn’t do anything about it when she was like this. I was new to elemental magic and its effect.

I yanked my lips from hers. We were both breathing hard. Her eyes still glowed golden. They’d never stayed that way for this long.

“Talk to me, Freckles. What’s happening to you? How do you feel?”

 “Don’t you feel it too? Hundreds of bolts zipping under your skin?” She touched my lips and smiled. It was both sweet and seductive. Made me feel invincible and humbled me.

I still didn’t like her glowing eyes. Whatever magic she’d used in the forest was powerful. Funny the after effect hadn’t hit her right away. Another new territory for us. I dealt with runic magic, not elemental. If hers was like runic magic, there was only one way to get rid of its effect. Let it run its course slowly while she slept. Or speed up the process my way.

My way was better.

I reached for her, catching her smile with my mouth, hearing her breath hitch. I cupped her thigh and draped it over my hip. When what I really wanted was to devour and claim, I savored and worshipped. Her lips were like nectar I could feed on for hours and never grow satisfied. I trailed a kiss along her cheek to her neck.

“You are an amazing kisser,” she said, smiling, her hands sliding under my T-shirt, nails digging into my skin. My muscles trembled.

Fighting a grin when all I wanted to do was rip her clothes off and feast on her perfection, I pulled her shirt off, but instead of removing it completely, I trapped her hands above her head. As long as she didn’t caress me, I would be okay. I’d stay in control.

“That’s because I love the way you respond to me,” I whispered. “The way you sigh and moan when I do this.” I ran the tips of my fingers down her side.

She arched and bit her lower lip to stop herself from moaning. That changed when I swept a hand over her silk-covered breasts and grazed her nipples. She bucked and angled her body toward mine.

“Let go of my hands, Torin,” she said.

“Sorry, luv. They stay up there.” Still trapping her hands, I captured her mouth in a gentle kiss, my tongue slipping between her lips to tangle with hers. At the same time, my hand slipped under her silk bra to cup her breast and play with her nipples.

She arched her back and moaned, kissing me wildly.

Yes! The faster she burned, the quicker her magic would fade. She sucked so hard on my tongue I almost forgot my objective. Her nipples were so responsive. She squirmed and pressed against me. Bad idea on so many levels.

I moved lower, exploring her silken skin, until I slipped a hand under her pants and reached the edge of her silk panties. She trembled, then jerked when my finger moved lower and stroked her most sensitive nub. She gasped and our lips parted way. Her eyes were still closed, so I couldn’t tell whether they’d stopped glowing. I trailed kisses to her neck, licking and nipping. She writhed and pushed against my hand, her breathing erratic.

“You’re so sweet,” I whispered, wishing I could replace my finger with my mouth.

“Torin,” she moaned, opening her legs wider as I continued to stroke her.

“I’m right here, Freckles,” I whispered against her skin, trailing kisses to her breasts. “You’re perfect. Beautiful.”

“Let go my hands,” she begged.

“Not yet.” If she touched me, I’d not stop myself from making her mine. Not a good move without knowing the effect of her witch powers.

“Please. I need… I need—”

I closed my mouth around her nipple, sucking on it through her bra. She jerked and tried to free her hands.

She was close. I could tell by her movements. They were uncoordinated and her breathing was labored.

“Torin,” she moaned.

I'd just pushed a second finger inside her and started rubbing her nub with my thumb when runes coiled under her skin like a tapestries of tattoos. She now engaged them without even knowing it. They lit up her skin like a thousand stars. They were going to heighten her orgasm. She squirmed and bucked, until she shuddered and cried out.

I captured her mouth in a kiss, as the tremors grew stronger and stronger, then ebbed. I didn’t stop stroking her, but I let her hands go.

It was a while before she opened her eyes and stared into mine. They were back to normal. I loved her hazel eyes. She reached out and stroked my face.

“Why did you trap my hands?” she asked.

I smirked. “I like to watch you fall apart.”

Her cheeks grew pink. Funny now that she was no longer under the influence of magic, she was blushing. “You’ve never stopped me from touching you too.”

I pressed a kiss on her knuckles. Now that I’d taken care of her problem, mine was returning. Rage coiled tight around me, quickly pulling me to that dark place where nothing else mattered but vengeance. My chest hurt, and my head grew foggy. I pulled Raine into my arms and held her tight, needing her to find my way back to the light.

As if she knew what was happening to me, she stroked my back and my hair, pressing sweet kisses on my shoulders. I wanted to stay trapped in her arms forever because no matter how much I craved her body, it was her love I needed the most. Her gentle touch calming my shudders. Her eyes speaking to me without saying a word, telling me my pain was hers. And her kisses soothing my soul.

 The pain ebbed and became a dull ache in the background. When I could speak without sounding like a deranged lunatic, I leaned back and connected with the love in her eyes.

“You were dealing with the after effect of magic and needed me. I didn’t want you to be influenced by magic when I make you mine,” he said.

Her eyes widened. “Are you… I mean, are we?”

I heard the excitement in her voice. Hating to disappoint her again, I pressed a gentle kiss on her lips. “Not tonight. Why don’t you get us hot chocolate, then we can talk. I need to cool off.”

That was the story of my life since I met Raine.  Cold showers and a very unhealthy relationship with my hand. But the perks outweighed the little inconveniences. I pressed another gentle kiss on her temple, got up, and pulled off my shirt.

***

Raine

Watching Torin pull off his shirt and bare his chest was like having someone unwrap your favorite chocolate with no intention of giving it to you. I wanted to do the unwrapping and the eating. When he reached for his buckle, I swallowed.

He paused, glanced at me, and cocked an eyebrow. “Are you sure you should be watching me do this?”

His cockiness didn’t fool me. He was hurting. I saw it in his eyes. I’d felt it while he trembled with rage in my arms. I’d been under the influence of elemental magic and he’d helped me get rid of it. He did things like that all the time, pushing his pain aside to take care of me. It was my turn.

“Go ahead,” I said.

He smirked, then pushed everything off—pants and underwear. My jaw dropped, but the sexually frustrated, very-much-a-virgin part of me rejoiced. I’d never seen him naked. Heck, I’d never seen any man naked.

His shoulders tapered to his waist, and his ass… Oh my. He had the most beautiful ass on a man. Of course, the sweats he wore to bed often rode low and fueled my imagination. A naked Torin surpassed anything I’d ever imagined. And I was only seeing his back.

Turn around.

As though he’d heard my thoughts, he glanced at me over his shoulder and chuckled. For one heart-stopping second, I was sure he’d turn around. Torin was bold and impossible, and loved nothing better than to shock me. I sighed with disappointment as he walked away.

The fact that he hadn’t turned around only confirmed what I’d suspected. He was hurting and pulling away from me. Again. Whenever he was dealing with unpleasant things, he tended to pull away in the name of protecting me. When was he going to learn that I needed to share his pain too? That I had the power to make him forget them, even for just a moment.

I stood and got rid of my bra. The water was running by the time I finished undressing. My heart pounding, I walked to the bathroom and entered. Torin’s back was to me, his head bowed. I pushed open the shower door and some of the water hit me. I shivered. It was freezing cold.

He looked over his shoulder and blinked. “Freckles?”

“I need to cool off too.” Sure my face was red, I gave him an uncertain smile. He’d seen, touched, and kissed parts of me before but this was the first time he was seeing me completely naked. When he didn’t speak, I crossed my arms and covered my breasts. “You can’t get undressed in front of me and expect me not to react.”